Here is a brief summary of the issues discussed and actions taken at the Congregation Council meeting on December 14:
- Passed a motion to accept the recommendations of the Personnel & Selection Committee to hire Debbie Jorgens to serve as the part-time “Director of Visitation & Congregation Care”.
- Treasurer Chris Thornton reported a significant increase in giving during November but noted that this probably includes some year-end giving that is projected to happen in December and therefore may be offset by lower giving for the rest of the calendar year.
- Chris Thornton shared preliminary results of his analysis of trends in membership and giving over the past decade. Some key findings are that Prince of Peace is becoming more reliant on giving by member over age 70, while the share of giving by members aged 50 to 69 is stable and is declining among younger members. The Council plans to share this analysis with the congregation as part of a process for developing a long range financial strategy.
- Approved an amendment to the church bylaws that would change the Council member designation “Congregation Life Area Coordinator” to “At Large Council Member”. This change would bring our bylaws into better alignment with the way Council members have actually functioned in recent years. The amendment will be brought to the Congregation at the January 30 semi-annual meeting. For more information, please refer to the formal notice which is being sent in a separate document.
- The Congregation Council designated 10% of the offerings received for Christmas be shared with Keystone Community Services and designated for their “Angel Fund.”
- The Roof Team has received three bids and is working to select a contractor and expects to submit a recommendation to the Council soon. It appears likely that the cost of the project will be within the amount authorized by the congregation.
Respectfully,
Michael Stetzler, President